[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 267 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 267

          Designating 2004 as ``The Year of Polio Awareness''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 18, 2003

 Mr. Specter submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
          Designating 2004 as ``The Year of Polio Awareness''.

Whereas 2004 is the 50th anniversary of the successful nationwide trial of the 
        injectable killed polio vaccine that included ``polio pioneer'' 
        children;
Whereas the injectable polio vaccines eliminated naturally occurring polio cases 
        in the United States but have not yet eliminated polio in other parts of 
        the world;
Whereas as few as 57 percent of American children receive all doses of necessary 
        vaccines during childhood, including the polio vaccine;
Whereas the success of the polio vaccines has caused people to forget the 
        1,630,000 Americans born before the development of the vaccines who had 
        polio during the epidemics in the middle of the 20th century;
Whereas at least 70 percent of paralytic polio survivors, and 40 percent of 
        nonparalytic polio survivors, are developing post-polio sequelae, which 
        are unexpected and often disabling symptoms that occur up to 35 years 
        after the poliovirus attack, including overwhelming fatigue, muscle 
        weakness, muscle and joint pain, sleep disorders, heightened sensitivity 
        to anesthesia, cold pain, and difficulty swallowing and breathing;
Whereas 2004 is the 130th anniversary of the diagnosis of the first case of 
        post-polio sequelae and the 20th anniversary of the creation of the 
        International Post-Polio Task Force;
Whereas research and clinical work by members of the International Post-Polio 
        Task Force have discovered that post-polio sequelae can be treated, and 
        even prevented, if polio survivors are taught to conserve energy and use 
        assistive devices to stop damaging and killing the reduced number of 
        overworked, polio virus-damaged neurons in the spinal cord and brain 
        that survived the polio attack;
Whereas many medical professionals, and polio survivors, do not know of the 
        existence of post-polio sequelae, or of the available treatments; and
Whereas the mission of the International Post-Polio Task Force includes 
        educating medical professionals and the 20,000,000 polio survivors in 
        the world about post-polio sequelae through the international post-polio 
        letter campaign, television public service announcements provided by the 
        Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting System 
        Company, and a continuing plot about polio and post-polio sequelae on 
        the National Broadcasting Company television series ``American Dreams'': 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the need for every American child to be 
        vaccinated against polio;
            (2) recognizes the 1,630,000 Americans who survived polio, 
        their new battle with post-polio sequelae, and the need for 
        education and appropriate medical care;
            (3) requests that every State proclaim 2004 as ``The Year 
        of Polio Awareness'' to promote vaccination and post-polio 
        sequelae education and treatment; and
            (4) requests that the President convene a White House Polio 
        Awareness Summit, with members of the International Post-Polio 
        Task Force and all appropriate departments and agencies, to 
        take immediate action to educate--
                    (A) the people of the United States about the need 
                for polio vaccination; and
                    (B) the polio survivors and the medical 
                professionals in the United States about the cause and 
                treatment of post-polio sequelae.
                                 <all>